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Author Biography

Christa Avampato was born on a retired apple farm in the Hudson Valley of upstate New York. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and pursued her passion for theater by managing Broadway shows and national theater tours.

Since getting her MBA at the Darden School at the University of Virginia, she has held leadership positions in product development at organizations such as American Express, Sesame Workshop, and Patron Technology where she now leads a product team to help arts organizations use technology to grow their businesses.

Christa's journalism has appeared in The Washington Post and Royal Media Partners magazines. She has been an invited speaker on the power of the imagination at SXSW, Games for Change, and New York University.

Dedicated to helping young people, Christa has served as a volunteer middle school and high school teacher for New York City public schools through Junior Achievement and a creative writing workshop facilitator for 826.org.

Christa created, produces, and hosts New York City's Secrets and Lies, a monthly live storytelling show about secret New York City history, at Caveat on the lower east side of Manhattan.

As passionate about science as she is about art, Christa proudly serves on the advisory board for the Edelman Fossil Park's new science center and museum.

Through it all, yoga and meditation keep her focused, her rescue pup, Phineas, keeps her company, and her home in New York City keeps her inspired.

Follow her on Twitter @christanyc, Instagram @christarosenyc, christaavampato.com, and emersonpage.com.

Book Review

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters by Christa Avampato is a gripping story about a young girl’s search for answers and clarity regarding her mother’s mysterious death. While the NYPD has given up on the case and thinks that Nora, the renowned anthropologist, simply slept and never woke up on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, her thirteen-year-old daughter, Emerson Page, thinks there could be more to the story than the simplistic explanation the police has given. Her search for answers will take her on a dangerous journey into hidden and mysterious places beneath New York City, a magical world of secrets, where she’ll discover dread truths about her mother, her mother’s final wish, and her destiny. While time is swiftly passing by and a powerful threat lurks too close, does she have what it takes to continue her mother’s work?

This is a fascinating story deftly told, a tale of courage and a gritty investigation, featuring a young protagonist who will take readers by surprise. The plot is fast-paced and readers are pulled into an exciting world filled with mystery and exciting stuff. Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters features excellent writing, brimming with vivid descriptions and dialogues that are compelling as they enhance the different elements of the story. Here is a story that will enthrall both young adult readers and adults, a well-plotted story with powerful themes seamlessly woven into its fabric. Christa Avampato was able to win my heart from the very beginning of the story with a powerful hook, and managed to keep my eyes glued to the pages, unable to stop reading. The prose is excellent and seduces the reader right off the bat. This story is engaging. A huge success for a novel!

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Jack Magnus

Emerson Page and Where The Light Enters is a young adult epic fantasy novel written by Christa Avampato. Stargrass Paper & Books was one of thirteen-year-old Emerson’s safe places. She loved to visit the rare books section and read the metal plaques bearing inspiring quotes that adorned the shelves. Stargrass’s owner, Jasper Peacock, was like a second father to her, and his granddaughter, Skylar, was both best friend and older sister. Emerson’s world was set perilously askew when her mother died five years ago. She had been so close to her mom and still remembered all the times they spent together. Emerson’s service dog, Friday, helped her cope with the anxiety she began experiencing after that loss. Friday kept her grounded and was always there to lend a back to lean on when she was sitting and reading a book. The other safe place, aside from being home with her dad, was the Crooked Willow Cafe. She loved inhaling the rich scent of the roasting and brewed coffees and watching the intricate dance of the baristas as they crafted coffee creations. Truman, an inventor, worked there and made the best hot chocolate drinks Emerson had ever had. Usually, after school, Emerson would get her book fix at Stargrass, and she and Skylar would stroll down to Crooked Willow, but this afternoon was different. Skylar entered the bookshop with some urgency and alarm in her every move. She grabbed Emerson by the arm and rushed with her and Friday to the back of the store. Soon after, a strangely appareled and imperious looking woman briskly entered the store. Judging from Skylar and Jasper’s reactions, something was very wrong indeed.

Christa Avampato’s young adult urban fantasy novel, Emerson Page and Where The Light Enters, is a marvelous blend of mythology and epic fantasy, which follows the young teenager as she comes of age under the most trying of circumstances. I loved Avampato’s characters, especially those people who form the support system that keeps Emerson safe as she learns to assume responsibilities and challenges far beyond her age and experience. The New York City setting is inspired, especially the author’s use of Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art and the historic and lovely Pomander Walk. Emerson has an appealing combination of curiosity, strength and determination, and her interactions with her service dog, Friday, and the inventive genius, Truman, are wonderful to behold. Avampato touches on important issues in this novel including child abuse and the ways adults can make the world a safer place for young victims. Samuel, the owner of Crooked Willow, stands up so heroically as a champion of the young, and he is definitely one of my favorites in this work. Emerson Page and Where The Light Enters is a big, imaginative and beautiful coming of age tale and it begs for a sequel. It’s also most highly recommended.

Kim Anisi

In Emerson Page and Where The Light Enters by Christa Avampato, readers will follow the adventures of Emerson Page, whose mother, Nora, died under very mysterious circumstances. She simply dropped dead and nobody knows why. Emerson wants to know the truth - but the truth is far more complicated than she ever expected. And her mother had a final wish that would mean great danger to her daughter. The girl finds a special book, and it opens a completely new world to her. A world filled with magic, wonderful surprises, and plenty of danger. Fortunately, Emerson has some good friends who stand by her side and help her through an adventure whose outcome will determine the fate of the world.

I love stories in which books play an important role, so I didn't think twice before picking up Emerson Page and Where The Light Enters by Christa Avampato after reading the plot synopsis. The characters are interesting and nicely rounded. Emerson's adventure is easy and pleasant to read, which makes it ideal for a younger audience. There is plenty of excitement, but nothing that would truly scare someone senseless. It is a great book to use if you would like to encourage a young person to get into reading! I am an "older" reader, but still enjoyed the story very much. I just found it far too short. I could easily have spent a few more hours with Emerson and her story. It is the kind of book I would recommend to everyone who likes light fantasy and loves to see more female protagonists!

Cheryl E. Rodriguez

Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters by Christa Avampato is an enlightening adventure. Five years ago, Emerson’s mother dies mysteriously on the steps of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Emerson takes her death very hard. Her father, Oliver, has arranged for Emerson to never be alone. Every day after school, she and her faithful service dog, Friday, go to her favorite bookstore and wait for her friend, Skylar, to see her home. The bookstore is her safe place, and surrounded by the rare collection of books, Emerson finds peace. One day, Emerson discovers a very rare book, one she has never seen before. Several of pages contain handwritten notes. The words seem to be written especially for her. “The Starlighter” changes her life; it opens the door to an unimaginable destiny. “We are always searching for the light. And the brightest of lights comes from within.” Emerson bravely follows the path set before her and lets her light shine.

Christa Avampato ‘s debut novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, is a radiant adventure that will intrigue the young fantasy reader. From the very beginning, the story is both captivating and mystifying. There is a story beneath the story, an underground stream giving it momentum, a life source, a perpetual light waiting to be revealed. The young heroine is brilliant and inspiring. Her character grows and evolves with each turn of the page. Surrounded by a strong cast of supporting characters, Emerson is curious and bold, strong and vulnerable, loving and powerful. The narrative stretches the imagination, imparts hope and takes the reader on a grand, daring adventure. As you turn the last page and read the final words you are assured by an ageless truth - love conquers all. Being a book lover, I really appreciated the beautiful and eloquent words penned about books, and the power of the story held within them. “Books are magical.” Yes. Indeed. At times, “we feel as though they are written just for us.” I am certain that many young readers will relate to the heroine and feel that her story was written just for them.

Anne-Marie Reynolds

Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters by Christa Avampato is an adventurous tale. Emerson Page is 13 years old. At just age 8, her mother, Nora, died under mysterious circumstances. A famous anthropologist, she was found dead outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art and, although the police tried, eventually they stopped wondering how she died and why. But Emerson won't and her search takes her under the streets of NY, following a trail that leads her on a dangerous journey to an unexpected and magical world of books. It is here that she learns the truth, but time is running very short for Emerson. Her entire world is being threatened unless she and she alone can do what her mother wanted, her final wish.

Emerson Page and Where the light Enters by Christa Avampato is a refreshing new look at the YA genre. The book starts on a high note and doesn’t flag, not one bit. The story is different, something original and it is all go, all the way through. It is a fascinating story, well written and clearly, Ms. Avampato has a very inventive imagination. She clearly thought this story out and has produced a masterpiece, in my opinion, a tale of strength and adventure, a story with strong and well-developed characters. I defy any young adult not to enjoy this story and I defy them not to want more when the story is told. I certainly did; there are not many books that can pull me deep into them, but this one did and there was no letting go until the last page. Excellent story, I hope that this is the first of many

Rachael

Beware: this book is so engrossing, you will be late for any real life plans. This literary gem is filled with dynamic characters you feel like you could reach out and touch. Emerson is a courageous, intelligent, and stubborn (in the best way) girl who would do anything to protect the people and world she loves. By the first few pages, you'll see why. The pace of the novel is just right - fast paced, yet allowing for deeper connections with the characters, and ultimately keeping you hooked chapter after chapter. Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters walks the fine line between painfully poignant yet also light hearted, touching on themes of love, loss, and family with sensitivity and care. You'll find yourself wiping a tear one moment and then cheering out loud for Emerson the next. Through it all, the book conveys a deeper message of optimism despite, or more accurately because of, life's struggles. As Jasper (one of the many amazing characters you'll meet) says "“We’re all a little broken,” said Jasper. “And that’s okay. Rumi the great poet once wrote that the wound is where the light enters us. That light lives in you and me and Cassandra and all people everywhere. Through our scars, through the broken places, that’s how the light gets in and how we show our light to others.”" You may have picked this book up to give to a young adult or read to a child, but you'll find that it's a story for all ages.

Colleen Shannon

We are made of stardust. Our imagination and creativity are our greatest strengths. Emerson Page And Where The Light Enters is an adventure that takes you through a secret world hidden in the heart of Manhattan. It is the journey of a young girl learning that deep within her heart lies the strength only love and a great imagination can bring to light. Not a story to be missed!